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The legal basis for his argument appears uncertain, but Donald Trump has sought to drum up outrage over his predecessor Joe Biden’s supposed use of autopen to sign presidential pardons and other documents.Trump’s attack on auto-signatures ignores that they have been used by previous presidents — and that there is no evidence Biden even used the technology for signing pardons, which gave immunity to a string of Trump political opponents.However, the narrative taps into Trump’s longtime theory that a senile Biden was not in charge as president, while a mysterious “deep state” pulled the strings.The eye-catching autopen issue also serves to soak up attention as Trump is accused of a brazen push to expand his own powers.The Justice Department is clear that autopens can be used to sign laws.In 2005, it said the president does not need to sign a bill by hand and can instead direct “a subordinate to affix the president’s signature to such a bill, for example by autopen.”Such rulings do little to curb Trump, or Project 2025 — the right-wing think-tank group that has pushed the autopen as an attack line.Trump said on social media on Monday that Biden’s pardons are void because Biden “did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them!”That followed up on last week when Trump said Biden “was grossly incompetent. All you have to do is look — he signs by autopen.”These are major documents you’re signing. You’re proud to sign them. You have your signature on something — in 300 years, they say ‘Oh, look.'”The autopen process reproduces signatures and is common across US government and business for routine letters, photographs and promotional material.Autopen signatures have been used for presidential pardons in the past, and a hand-written autograph is not needed legally, experts say.In 2011, the New York Times reported that Barack Obama had become the first president to sign a bill by autopen while in Europe. Paper versions are still sometimes flown to the president for signing.In his last days in office, Biden, now 82, issued a series of notable pardons for people targeted by Trump — including Biden’s own son, lawmakers who probed Trump, a military general who had criticized Trump and the country’s top Covid expert.”I am not afraid of Trump’s latest midnight rant that has no basis in reality,” Bennie Thompson, one lawmaker pardoned by Biden, said in a statement to Axios news.

Washington has questioned UN agencies, nonprofits and charities that received US funds on whether they have “communist” links or support “gender ideology”, and other topics targeted by US President Donald Trump, a dozen groups told AFP.A list of 36 questions was sent to small and large organisations alike as part of Washington’s ongoing review of its vast foreign aid spending.”I don’t think we have ever received anything like this,” said a staff member at a large humanitarian organisation, speaking on condition of anonymity.While the questionnaire, obtained by AFP, included typical donor queries about things like “cost-effectiveness” strategies, others seemed crafted to determine if grantees conform with the politics of President Donald Trump’s administration.One question asked if organisations had “received ANY funding from (China), Russia, Cuba or Iran”, and for confirmation that there are no “DEI elements of the project”, referring to diversity, equity and inclusion, Trump’s bogeyman.They were also asked to confirm that “this is not a climate or ‘environmental justice’ project”, and that it takes “appropriate measures to protect women and to defend against gender ideology”.And organisations were asked if they worked “with entities associated with communist, socialist, or totalitarian parties, or any party that espouses anti-American beliefs”.- ‘Authoritarian’ -“Authoritarian or anti-American regimes… ironically is a pretty accurate description of the Trump Administration,” Phil Lynch, head of the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), told AFP.He said his organisation had “declined to respond” to the questionnaire, adding: “Our grants from the US government have been terminated.” ISHR was among a long line of organisations, ranging from NGOs to UN agencies, the Red Cross and other large international humanitarian actors, that told AFP they had received the questionnaire.Many voiced shock at the tone of the queries, sent out following Trump’s decision immediately upon his return to power in January to freeze virtually all US foreign aid pending the review.The sudden about-face by the country that traditionally has given most has sent the entire humanitarian community into a tailspin.”It is fair to send out a questionnaire to people you give money to,… but (this questionnaire) doesn’t seem to be adapted to the humanitarian sector,” said a high-level official within a large international aid organisation, speaking on condition of anonymity.”What we find very problematic is that there are a lot of questions around certain political objectives.”Lucica Ditiu, head of STOP TB which also received the questionnaire, stressed that donor country had the prerogative to “look at the way their funding is being used”.She said her organisation, which has traditionally received around half of its funding from the United States, had responded, confirming among other things that no US funds would go to “work related to DEI”.She meanwhile voiced hope that funds from other donors would allow such work to continue.- ‘Unclear’ -Other organisations said they had debated whether or not to respond, as they felt drawn between the threat of losing vital funding and fear they could be construed as sacrificing their principles.”Whatever the financial implications, ISHR will not resile from its principled commitment to human rights and the rule of law, as well as to values such as diversity, equality and justice,” Lynch said.A large international aid organisation said it had opted to respond but not without reservations.”If we are seen as a tool for American foreign policy, it will further jeopardise our work,” the high-level official there said.”It can create security risks for our staff, it can create a lack of acceptance in communities… (The) potential negative repercussions are quite far-reaching.”UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that “a number of UN entities have received questionnaires from the US government”, and would “respond in accordance with their respective rules”.A spokesperson with UNAIDS, which has counted on the US for half of its budget, confirmed it had received “several different questionnaires from the United States since the new administration arrived”.”We answer each time.”The deadlines for responding appear to differ.One large aid organisation said its deadline fell on the same day as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the completion of the US review.”If the review is already done, it is unclear to us how they will actually use this information,” an aid agency official said.The staff member at another large aid organisation agreed.”Unclear is the keyword of 2025.”

Donald Trump declared Monday he was annulling pardons issued by Joe Biden to shield Trump critics from retribution, claiming that they were invalid because his Democratic predecessor had supposedly used an autopen for his signature.It was unclear what, if any, authority Trump has to void presidential pardons issued by his predecessor.It is extremely rare for pardons to be revoked in US history, and doing so in this case could see Trump again testing the limits of executive power as he takes aim at his political enemies.Trump claimed that Biden’s signature on the documents had been carried out with an autopen, a commonly used device, and therefore was not valid.The pardons “are hereby declared void, vacant, and of no further force or effect, because of the fact they were done by Autopen,” Trump posted on his social media account Truth Social.However, he provided no evidence either for the use of an autopen or his contention that it would invalidate the signature.US presidents have long used autopens, including to sign bills into law. But Trump and his supporters, such as those linked to the right-wing policy document Project 2025, have sought to turn the issue into a way to delegitimize Biden’s presidency.Biden issued pardons to former senior Republican lawmaker Liz Cheney and other members of the congressional committee that had investigated the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by Trump’s supporters and multiple attempts by Trump to overturn the 2020 election in which he lost.The Biden pardons, issued at the end of his presidency, were effectively a blanket immunity to shield the lawmakers from Trump’s repeated promises that he would take revenge against them if he won the 2024 election.Trump appeared to acknowledge that his action entered disputed legal territory. Asked by reporters early Monday whether everything Biden signed with an autopen should be voided, Trump said “I think so. It’s not my decision, that’ll be up to a court.”But he said on Truth Social that the committee members “should fully understand that they are subject to investigation at the highest level.”Experts who spoke to Axios media outlet pointed out that even if Trump were to lose a court challenge over the move, the damage would already have been done, with those he targets being dragged into stressful legal battles.Biden also issued preemptive pardons to former Covid pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci, retired general Mark Milley, and — perhaps most controversially — to close family members including his son Hunter. All of them had become public targets of the incoming Republican president.Trump has repeatedly promised “retribution” against his political opponents and threatened some with criminal prosecution, and Biden said at the time that he could not “in good conscience do nothing.”On taking office this January, Trump immediately issued multiple pardons to supporters, including to about 1,500 people convicted in the storming of the Capitol building in an attempt to block certification of Biden’s election victory on January 6, 2021.

Huge crowds joined protests in rebel-controlled Yemen on Monday after deadly US strikes killed dozens and sparked fears of a new cycle of violence in the conflict-torn country.Tens of thousands of demonstrators, many waving assault rifles, daggers or Korans, chanted “Death to America, death to Israel!” in the capital Sanaa.There were also large crowds in Saada, birthplace of the Iran-backed Huthi movement, and demonstrations in Dhamar, Hodeida and Amran, footage from the rebels’ Al-Masirah TV station showed.”Yemen will never back down — we defy the Americans, we defy the Zionists,” said a man shouting slogans to the Sanaa crowd, who chanted back: “We are the men of the Prophet.”The protests came after the first US strikes on Yemen under President Donald Trump, aimed at ending the Huthis’ Red Sea harassment campaign, which killed 53 people and wounded 98 on Saturday.The rebels, at war with a Saudi-led coalition for a decade, launched scores of attacks on ships in the vital route during the Gaza war, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.  Earlier on Monday they said they had attacked the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier group twice within 24 hours. There was no comment from the United States.Washington has vowed to keep hitting Yemen until the rebels stop attacking Red Sea shipping, with Trump warning he would use “overwhelming lethal force”.Monday’s rallies were called by Huthi leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi to coincide with the anniversary of the Battle of Badr — a celebrated military victory by the Prophet Mohammed.- Heavy strikes -In the capital Sanaa, controlled by the Huthis since 2014, giant Yemeni and Palestinian flags punctuated a sea of demonstrators at Al-Sabeen Square, which has hosted large-scale demonstrations on a weekly basis throughout the Gaza war.Just two days ago the Huthi-controlled capital was hit by heavy strikes, including in northern districts frequented by the rebels’ leadership.They were the first US strikes since Trump came to office in January despite a pause in the Huthis’ attacks coinciding with a ceasefire in the Gaza war.On Sunday, US officials vowed further bombardments until the rebels ended their campaign against Red Sea shipping, while also threatening action against the group’s sponsor Iran.Huthi media reported more explosions late on Sunday, accusing the Americans of targeting a cotton facility in the Hodeida region and the Galaxy Leader, a cargo ship hijacked in November 2023.- ‘Hell will rain down’ -The United Nations urged both sides to “cease all military activity”, while expressing concern over Huthi threats to resume the Red Sea attacks.Beijing called for “dialogue and negotiation” and a de-escalation of tensions.”China opposes any action that escalates the situation in the Red Sea,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular briefing.Before this weekend’s targeting of the US carrier group, the Huthis had not claimed any attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since January 19, when the ceasefire in Gaza began.However, the group had threatened to resume its campaign over Israel’s blocking of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory. It said it would “move to additional escalatory options” if the “American aggression” continued.US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz told ABC News that Saturday’s strikes “targeted multiple Huthi leaders and took them out”. The Huthis have not responded to Waltz’s claim.Trump, meanwhile, has warned the Yemeni group that “hell will rain down upon you” if it did not stop its attacks. In a social media post he also addressed Iran, demanding it stop supporting “Huthi terrorists”.Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US strikes and said Washington had “no authority” to dictate Tehran’s foreign policy.- Costly detour -A database set up by ACLED, a non-profit monitor, shows 136 Huthi attacks against warships, commercial vessels, and Israeli and other targets since October 19, 2023.While the Red Sea trade route normally carries around 12 percent of world shipping traffic, Huthi attacks have forced many companies into costly detours around southern Africa.The United States had already launched several rounds of strikes on Huthi targets under former president Joe Biden.Israel has also struck Yemen, most recently in December, after Huthi missile fire towards Israeli territory.The rebels control large swathes of Yemen, including most of its population centres, after ousting the internationally recognised government from Sanaa.They have been at war with a Saudi-led coalition backing the government since 2015, a conflict that has triggered a major humanitarian crisis.Fighting has largely been on hold since a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022, but the peace process has stalled following the Huthi attacks over Gaza.burs/th/dcp

US President Donald Trump will on Monday visit the Kennedy Center in Washington for the first time since his stunning takeover of the top arts venue that he branded too “woke.”Trump will lead a board meeting at the venue, where he installed himself as chairman and ousted the leadership a month ago as part of his broader blitz on almost every aspect of American life.The 78-year-old Republican railed in particular against drag shows at the venue, amid a wider targeting of trans issues by his administration since returning to office.But the changes have faced opposition, with concertgoers booing Vice President JD Vance last week and the hit musical “Hamilton” canceling a planned run at the Kennedy Center.”We have to straighten it out,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday about his visit to the center. “It’s not a good system, like everything else in this country.”The White House said Trump would take part in a board meeting and tour of the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center, named after the US president who was assassinated in 1963.In an extraordinary step, the board meeting will take place onstage at the venue’s opera house, CBS News reported.Trump’s shake-up stunned the Kennedy center, a fixture of Washington cultural life which is based in a huge white marble edifice overlooking the Potomac river and next door to the infamous Watergate complex.He fired its chairman and trustees and named himself as the new leader in February, an unprecedented takeover of a cultural venue by a US president.- ‘Destroyed’ -Trump then filled the board with ultra-loyalist allies including his powerful chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and Second Lady Usha Vance.At the time, Trump told reporters that “we didn’t like what they were showing” at the center and that once he took over “it’s not going to be woke.”In a Truth Social post he added that the center had “featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP.”The move came amid a wider targeting of trans issue and diversity by the Trump administration, and a crackdown on his political opponents.In his first term from 2017 to 2021, the Republican regularly skipped the Kennedy Center’s yearly gala event because people slated to receive awards criticized him and said they would not show up if he did.The Kennedy Center is home to the National Symphony Orchestra and also offers theatre, opera, comedy and other productions.Last week Vance and his wife were loudly booed as they entered the concert hall for a performance by the orchestra. Videos of the incident went viral.Meanwhile the producer of “Hamilton”, the hit rap musical about the birth of the United States and its first treasury secretary, said earlier this month that he was canceling its latest run in protest at Trump’s “purge.””In recent weeks we have sadly seen decades of Kennedy Center neutrality be destroyed,” Jeffrey Seller wrote.

US retail sales logged smaller gains than expected in February according to government data released Monday, edging up from an earlier decline with all eyes on consumer spending strength amid growing worries of a recession.Consumers are a key driver of the world’s biggest economy, and spending has been helped by a resilient job market and wage growth. But households have since drawn down on savings accumulated during the Covid-19 pandemic.President Donald Trump’s economic policies — which so far include sweeping tariff hikes and sharp cuts to the federal government — have also bogged down consumer confidence in recent weeks. In February, retail sales crept up by 0.2 percent from January to $722.7 billion, according to Commerce Department data.The figure was an improvement from January’s 1.2 percent decline in sales, although a consensus forecast of analysts expected a larger uptick of 0.7 percent in February according to Briefing.com.January’s number was revised to reflect a larger drop than in advance estimates.Since taking office, Trump has imposed sweeping tariff hikes on major US trading partners and key materials like steel and aluminum — moves that economists warn could fuel inflation in the near-term if maintained. Trump’s policies have also roiled markets.But officials refer to tariffs as a means to raise government revenue while pointing to a broader slate of policies to come, including deregulation and tax cuts, when asked about recent shake-ups.- Risk of weakness -From a year ago, retail sales were up 3.1 percent in February, the government data showed.Among sectors, sales at motor vehicles and parts dealers dropped 0.4 percent between January and February.Sales at restaurants and bars fell by 1.5 percent on a monthly basis, while those at electronics stores and gasoline stations slipped as well.The overall report, however, should alleviate concerns that the economy is already shrinking, said economist Samuel Tombs at Pantheon Macroeconomics.But “the risk of much weaker growth, as consumers seek to rebuild a savings buffer in response to concerns about job security, now looks elevated,” he said in a note.Robert Frick, corporate economist with the Navy Federal Credit Union, expects that consumer income is a key factor that will influence spending in the future, adding that this is still “growing at a good rate.””Consumers have shown just in the recent past that despite deep worries over inflation and Covid, they’ll still spend if the dollars are there,” he said.The full effects of Trump’s tariff policies and government cuts are still flowing through the US economy, however.Last week, a study showed that consumer confidence declined sharply in March — for a third straight month — with many consumers citing a high level of policy uncertainty and other economic factors.

A pair of US astronauts stuck for more than nine months on the International Space Station will be returned to Earth on Tuesday evening, NASA said.Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are to be transported home with another American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon craft, after a replacement crew arrived at the ISS early Sunday. The stranded duo have been on the ISS since June after the Boeing Starliner spacecraft they were testing on its maiden crewed voyage suffered propulsion issues and was deemed unfit to fly them back to Earth.NASA said in a statement on Sunday evening that it had moved forward the astronauts’ anticipated ocean splashdown off the Florida coast to approximately 5:57 pm Tuesday (2157 GMT). It was initially slated for no sooner than Wednesday.”The updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favorable weather conditions expected for later in the week,” the space agency said.NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will also return on the Dragon capsule, with the journey to be broadcast live from Monday evening when hatch closure preparations begin.For Wilmore and Williams, it will mark the end of an ordeal that has seen them stuck for nine months after what was meant to have been a days-long roundtrip.Their prolonged stay was significantly longer than the standard ISS rotation for astronauts of roughly six months. But it is much shorter than the US space record of 371 days set by NASA astronaut Frank Rubio aboard the ISS in 2023, or the world record held by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 continuous days aboard the Mir space station.Still, the unexpected nature of their prolonged stay away from their families — they had to receive additional clothing and personal care items because they hadn’t packed enough — has garnered interest and sympathy.

Donald Trump declared Monday he has annulled preventative pardons issued by former president Joe Biden to members of Congress who angered Trump by investigating the attempt to overturn the 2020 US election.It was unclear what, if any authority Trump has to void presidential pardons issued by his predecessor.The Republican claimed that Biden’s signature on the documents had been carried out with a commonly used device known as an autopen and therefore was not valid — without providing evidence either for the autopen or his contention that it would invalidate the signature.The pardons “are hereby declared void, vacant, and of no further force or effect, because of the fact they were done by Autopen,” Trump posted on his social media account Truth Social.Biden issued pardons to former senior Republican lawmaker Liz Cheney and other members of the congressional committee that had investigated the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by Trump’s supporters and multiple attempts by Trump to overturn the election in which he lost.The Biden pardons, issued at the end of his presidency, were effectively a blanket immunity to shield the lawmakers from Trump’s repeated promises that he would take revenge against them if he won the 2024 election.Trump appeared to acknowledge that his action entered disputed legal territory. Asked by reporters early Monday whether everything Biden signed with an autopen should be voided, Trump said “I think so. It’s not my decision, that’ll be up to a court.”But he said the committee members “should fully understand that they are subject to investigation at the highest level.”Biden also issued preemptive pardons to former Covid pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci, retired general Mark Milley, and — perhaps most controversially — to close family members including his son Hunter. All of them had become public targets of the incoming Republican president.Trump has repeatedly promised “retribution” against his political opponents and threatened some with criminal prosecution, and Biden said at the time that he could not “in good conscience do nothing.”On taking office this January, Trump immediately issued multiple pardons to supporters, including to about 1,500 people convicted in the storming of the Capitol building in an attempt to block certification of Biden’s election victory on January 6, 2021.

The death toll from tornadoes and violent storms that ravaged the central and southern United States over the weekend has risen to at least 40 people, with dozens more injured, local authorities said.Local news channels across the affected region showed video of roofs torn off homes, trees felled, and trucks overturned by high winds.Eight people died in Kansas in a crash involving more than 50 vehicles, caused by low visibility during a “severe dust storm,” local police said.In Oklahoma, four people were killed as wildfires and strong winds swept across the state, the local emergency management department said.Mississippi’s state governor said in a post on X that at least six people had been killed there, with three still missing.”We are actively monitoring the severe tornadoes and storms that have impacted many States across the South and Midwest,” President Donald Trump posted earlier Sunday on Truth Social, putting the toll at 36.He said National Guard troops were deployed in Arkansas, where officials said three people had died and 32 had been injured in the storm.”The damage is overwhelming,” Missouri governor Mike Kehoe said in a statement after visiting some of the hardest-hit areas in that state.”Homes and businesses have been destroyed, entire communities are without power, and the road to recovery will not be easy.”Earlier, the Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed 12 storm-related fatalities and shared images of boats piled on top of one another at a marina destroyed by the weather.In Texas, local authorities said four people had died in vehicle accidents linked to dust storms and fires that reduced visibility on the roads.The United States saw the second-highest number of tornadoes on record last year with nearly 1,800, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), trailing only 2004.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels said they attacked an American aircraft carrier group twice within 24 hours as they prepared for huge rallies on Monday after US strikes left dozens dead.The response from the Huthis follows attacks on Saturday ordered by President Donald Trump that hammered the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, and several other areas, killing 53 people, according to the rebels.The United States struck the Huthis over their repeated attacks on Red Sea shipping sparked by the Gaza war, which have put a major strain on the vital trade route.The rebels said they had hit back by firing 18 missiles and a drone at the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier group on Sunday, before launching a second strike hours later.There was no immediate comment from the United States about the Huthis’ claimed attacks.In a statement posted to Telegram, a Huthi spokesperson said the attacks were “in retaliation to the continued American aggression against our country”.Washington has vowed to keep striking Yemen until the rebels stop attacking Red Sea shipping, with Trump warning he would use “overwhelming lethal force”.Huthi leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi called for large-scale rallies on Monday, the anniversary of the Battle of Badr — an against-the-odds, seventh-century military victory by the Prophet Mohammed.”I call on our dear people to go out tomorrow on the anniversary of the Battle of Badr in a million-strong march in Sanaa and the rest of the governorates,” he said in a televised address late on Sunday.- Heavy strikes -Sanaa’s Al Sabeen Square, the scene of regular major protests during the Israel-Hamas war, looked set to be packed once again for Monday’s rally.Late on Saturday, the Huthi-controlled capital was hit by heavy strikes, including in northern districts frequented by the rebels’ leadership.The Huthi health ministry said women and children were among the 53 people killed and 98 wounded.”The house shook, the windows shattered, and my family and I were terrified,” father of two Ahmed, who declined to give his full name, told AFP.The strikes were the first since Trump came to office in January, and came despite a pause in the Huthis’ attacks during a ceasefire in the Gaza war.On Sunday, US officials vowed further strikes until the rebels ended their campaign against Red Sea shipping, also threatening action against Iran.Huthi media reported more explosions late on Sunday night, accusing the Americans of targeting a cotton facility in the Hodeida region and the Galaxy Leader, a cargo ship hijacked in November 2023.In response to the latest escalation along the maritime trade route, the United Nations urged both sides to “cease all military activity”, while China reiterated calls for diplomacy.”The reasons behind the situation in the Red Sea and the Yemen issue are complex and should be properly resolved through dialogue and negotiation,” said foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.- ‘Hell will rain down’ -The Iran-backed Huthis, who control much of the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country, have attacked Israel and shipping vessels throughout the Gaza war, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians.Before this weekend’s targeting of the US carrier group, the Huthis had not claimed attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since January 19, when the ceasefire in Gaza began.However, the group had recently threatened to resume its attacks over Israel’s blocking of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory. It said it would “move to additional escalatory options” if the “American aggression” continued.US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz told ABC News that Saturday’s strikes “targeted multiple Huthi leaders and took them out”. The Huthis have not responded to Waltz’s claim.Trump, meanwhile, has warned the Yemeni group that “hell will rain down upon you” if it did not stop its attacks. In a social media post he also addressed Iran, demanding it stop supporting “Huthi terrorists”.Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US strikes and said Washington had “no authority” to dictate Tehran’s foreign policy.A database set up by ACLED, a non-profit monitor, shows 136 Huthi attacks against warships, commercial vessels, and Israeli and other targets since October 19, 2023.While the Red Sea trade route normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic, Huthi attacks have forced many companies into costly detours around southern Africa.The United States had already launched several rounds of strikes on Huthi targets under former president Joe Biden.Israel has also struck Yemen, most recently in December, after Huthi missile fire towards Israeli territory.In addition to their actions in the Red Sea, the rebels have been at war for nearly a decade with a Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government, from which the Huthis have seized large swathes of territory.Fighting in that conflict has largely been on hold since a 2022 ceasefire, but the promised peace process has stalled in the face of the Huthi attacks on shipping.burs/th/smw